ATLANTA, Ga.— In a thrilling overtime victory under wet conditions, the Savannah State Football team held on to undefeated status in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) play, spoiling Clark Atlanta's homecoming with a 22-15 overtime win.
The Tigers improve to 4-3 overall and 3-0 in SIAC play with the win. Clark Atlanta (CAU) falls to 0-7 on the season and 0-3 in the SIAC. Savannah State ended a five-game, 3-2, road streak with the win.
SSU returns to Theodore A. Wright Stadium for a Homecoming game against Albany State on Oct. 26, followed by their final SIAC game of the season against Fort Valley State on Nov. 2 at 5 p.m. in Savannah. The Tigers are not elidable to compete for the SIAC Championship this year or the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
The outer rain bands of Tropical Storm Nester hovered over Atlanta all day on Saturday, impacting playing conditions. Players on the sidelines bounced up and down in place to keep warm as temperatures dropped and the rain steadied on the day.
Both teams had a chance to test their offenses in new ways, however. Clark Atlanta's pass-heavy offense was largely grounded in the first half due to rain, but came alive late as conditions improved.
SSU's run-heavy option dug in and proved to be a game-winning factor. While SSU's special teams struggled with the conditions, the Panthers' special teams seemed poised and took advantage of costly mistakes.
With 11:48 to play in the fourth quarter, as SSU led 15-7, an attempted punt from Giovanni Lugo was blocked and recovered by Tyrese Ross who ran for a 20-yard Clark Atlanta touchdown. Charles Staffor hit Andre Felder for a good 2-point attempt, tying the game up 15.
SSU responded with a long 12-play, 53-yard drive, converting three third downs to reach the red zone. The drive ate up much of the final quarter. On 1st and goal, D'Vonn Gibbons fumbled the ball, however, ending the chances of a quick victory. On the Panthers ensuing drive, the Tiger defense stepped up and forced them into 4th and 23 with 2:11 to play. Stafford missed a pass, giving SSU one more chance in regular time to score.
The Tigers ran the ball three downs to kill the clock and send the game into overtime. SSU won the coin toss and opened the extra time with a short drive.
On SSU's third down, the Panthers were called for a horse-collar penalty as D'Angelo Durham was taken down by the neck. The penalty set up SSU with a 1st and goal. Durham busted through the middle for a 9-yard dash on the next play, giving SSU a 22-15 lead after Lugo tacked on the extra point.
Clark Atlanta's overtime drive got pushed back by a pumped up SSU defense and a costly intentional grounding penalty. On 4th and goal, Joe Boykin chased Stafford down, sacking him for a loss and handing the Tigers the win.
SSU had 17 first downs in the game to the Panthers' 9, and racked up 325 rushing yards on 71 attempts to CAU's -5. The Panthers fared much better in the air in the second half, putting up 110 net passing yards to the first half's 78. The Tigers mostly avoided the pass, tossing it up only two times.
Gibbons led the effort with 115 net rushing yards, including two touchdowns. He was followed closely by Durham, who earned 99 rushing yards on 23 attempts. Desmond Young led the SSU defense with 3.5 tackles on the day. Freshman Einaj Carter had 3 tackles and 1 interception.
SSU's opening drive was plagued with three costly penalties. The Tigers struggled to get past midfield as they adjusted to the wet conditions.
On their second drive of the day, Clark Atlanta finally got their passing offense off the ground after multiple attempts. On their first complete pass, Stafford hit Caleeb Roberson with a 47-yard bomb to put the Panthers deep in Tiger territory. On the next play, Stafford practically walked it in 13-yards to put the home team up 7-0 with 1:28 to play in the opening quarter.
The Tigers were fast to respond though. On the third play of their next offensive drive, Gibbons squeezed through a hole in the Panther line and turned on the jets for a 60-yard touchdown rush. Lugo missed the PAT after a high snap and block attempt from the Panthers. SSU trailed CAU 6-7 into the second quarter.
SSU forced a three and out on Clark's first drive of the second quarter, opening a scoring chance. The Tiger offense closed out a 13-play, 57-yard drive—in which they converted two third downs and two fourth downs—with a short 2-yard touchdown rush from Gibbons. Durham attempted a 2-point conversion but fell short. The Tigers took a 12-7 lead with 7:26 to play. The score held into the locker room as both teams fluttered on offense.
The opening drive of the third quarter was a wild one for Savannah State. After Carter fumbled with a wet ball on the kick-off, the freshman found some room to run, pushing down field 37-yards to set SSU in midfield.
The Tigers completed a 10-play scoring drive with a good 33-yard field goal from Lugo to take a 15-7 lead. The score would hold through the rest of the quarter and into fourth.
The 2019 Tigers have one of the best starts for the program in the record books (beginning in 1915). The last Tiger team to open a season with a winning record through seven games was the 1988, 7-3, Tigers who were coached by the legendary William "Bill" Davis. That team also fielded three-time All-SIAC, three-time Super Bowl Champion, and NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Shannon Sharpe.